Bidding Goodbye to the Honorable Robert Selmer Bergland

Roseau's own Bob Bergland, a Depression-era farm kid who had a passion for politics, people, and good deeds, died this past Sunday at LifeCare Roseau Manor at age 90. His funeral is Saturday, December 15, at Moe Lutheran Church in Roseau.

Mr. Bergland, who was elected to four terms in the U.S. Congress but served only three terms before serving as the Secretary of Agriculture for the Carter Administration from 1977-1981, never seemed to lose his flair for people, politics and persuasion even as a nonagenarian.

At 90, Mr. Bergland was as sharp as a young history professor. He had witnessed hist...